1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to electrical switches, and more particularly the invention relates to electrical switch apparatus having a plurality of contacts which may be selectively closed.
2. Prior Art
Electrical systems, particularly in computer and telecommunications applications, are often provided with consoles having a number of electrical switches which can be selectively set manually by a human operator. In telephone repertory dialing equipment, for example, telephone numbers stored in electronic memory can be automatically dialed by the selective closing of switch contacts associated with each stored telephone number. Heretofore, each telephone number in memory has been identified on a list provided on the housing of the repertory dialer, and each number has been provided with a multicontact pushbutton which is depressed for effecting the automatic dialing of the corresponding telephone number.
Since one manual switch is required for each number, the spacing of telephone numbers in the list must be positioned to accommodate the pushbutton. Further, the requirement for a plurality of pushbuttons may increase the cost and complexity of the assembly of the equipment. Additionally, the arrangement of buttons can detract from the aesthetics of the telephone equipment.